Hi Vinmind,
Absolutely agree with your comments on the current state of Education esp the way it is taught with more emphasis on learning by rote..or mugging rather than understanding the concepts & questioning them as well..as i mentioned earlier that the creativity of children goes down as she/he goes through the schooling..nevertheless some schools have recognized them and efforts are to instill & develop the same..
Thanks for sharing your thoughts...
Regards,
Rajat
Engine of Change
Innovative plant practices at the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance serve as an example of how U.S. automakers may be able to better stand up to stiff global competitiion.
By Jessica Marquez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s a Thursday morning in early April, and the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance plant in Dundee, Michigan, is open as it always is, 21 hours a day, six days a week, 294 days a year.
But a visitor to the plant might wonder where all the workers are.
True, for an auto engine plant, GEMA is more automated and thus leaner than most. The facility’s total headcount is 275, significantly less than a typical engine plant, which has 600 to 2,000 workers.
But that’s not why the assembly lines seem empty, GEMA president Bruce Coventry says. "Since we’re ahead of schedule, a lot of our people are in training," he says.
Sure enough, down the hall are three rooms filled with employees being taught a wide array of subjects, ranging from how to assemble an engine to the study of mathematical formulas designed to teach problem-solving skills.
Over the next several months, these employees will receive up to 1,160 hours of such training in class and on the assembly floor.
"The fact that we are ahead of our production schedule allows us to focus our people on problem solving and continuous improvement," Coventry says. "That’s a luxury that most organizations don’t usually have."
And that’s why automakers from around the world, including GEMA’s three owners—DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai—are keeping close track of this facility, located 60 miles outside of Detroit.
As General Motors and Ford seek to shed thousands of their union-represented employees, they are looking ahead to what kind of workforce they will need to compete in the increasingly global market.
"They need a new business model for labor agreements and new kinds of workers," says Sean McAlinden, chief economist and vice president of research at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Many are thinking that GEMA may prove to be that model, he says.
The Dundee facility, which opened in October, stands out from other auto plants in every aspect of how it manages its workforce. Its hourly employees are highly educated and rotate jobs and shifts to provide for greater flexibility. That’s an unheard of concept in the traditional auto plant, where each worker is usually assigned to one and only one job.
Another unique aspect of GEMA’s workforce model is that contractors, whom the plant refers to as "partners," work alongside assembly workers and engineers, sporting the same black-and-white uniforms. "We want everyone to feel like they are part of a team," Coventry says.
But the most unheard of thing for the auto industry is that the United Auto Workers has agreed to the concept.
"This is an agreement that every automaker is looking at with laser eyes," McAlinden says.
GEMA expects to open a second facility in October on the same premises. At full capacity the Dundee plants will have 532 workers and produce 840,000 engines annually. Its goal is to be the most productive engine plant in the world, beating the industry standard of 1.8 hours of production per engine, says Mark Dunning, senior manager of human resources. The company says that so far GEMA is on track to hit those numbers, though it will not disclose preliminary data.
The initial investment for the two plants was $804 million, 50 percent less than DaimlerChrysler had ever invested in an engine plant, Coventry says.
The automakers’ joint venture also has two non-GEMA plants in South Korea and one in Japan that produce engines for Hyundai and Mitsubishi, respectively. When all of the plants are operational by year’s end, the venture will have the capacity to produce 1.8 million engines annually.
GEMA's origin
Coventry, who had been an engine plant manager for Chrysler since 1995, was the logical choice to come up with the idea for GEMA in 2001. Chrysler had recently bought a stake in Hyundai and Mitsubishi, and Thomas LaSorda, then head of DaimlerChrysler’s engine and transmission division, wanted to come up with ways for the three companies to collaborate.
All three organizations needed four-cylinder engines. Coventry was LaSorda’s pick to help lead the project.
A graduate of General Motors Institute, an engineering school established by General Motors and now called Kettering University, Coventry wanted to find a way to get rid of the waste and inefficiencies he had seen in traditional plants.
"My pet peeves are bureaucracy, structure and management," he says.
Over the next several months, Coventry and a team of executives from the three automakers brainstormed over meetings in Korea and the U.S.
During these discussions, the group came up with a list of companies within and outside of the industry, such as Dell, Wal-Mart and Toyota, to serve as benchmarks for the business model they wanted.
Like its Japanese peers, the alliance wanted to focus on kaizen, the Japanese term for continuous improvement. But Coventry says that GEMA doesn’t want to just replicate Toyota, which he concedes is "the rabbit" all automakers are trying to catch.
"We are doing many things that a Toyota employee would recognize, but the big differentiator is that our workforce has a much higher level of technical skill," he says.
GEMA’s nonexempt workers, who start at $21 an hour and work up to $30 within five years, must have either a two-year technical degree, a skilled journeyman’s card or five years’ experience in advanced machining. This level of education is key to GEMA being more flexible, and thus faster than its competitors, Dunning says.
The other guiding principles of the plant’s culture are problem solving and "the four A’s": anyone can do anything anytime, anywhere. This means that workers rotate jobs—a model that is designed to give the plant more flexibility. Everyone on the floor has a similar title: They are "team members" and "team leaders."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Creating a plant around the concepts of flexibility and problem solving really comes down to the people we hire."
--Bruce Coventry
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By rotating jobs, the plant hopes to keep workers engaged and reduce the potential for injury, Coventry says. The chance of workers developing ergonomic injuries is lower if they aren’t repeating the exact same motions all day long, he says. So far there have been no ergonomical injuries at the plant.
There are also no foremen overseeing the workers at GEMA. In their place are the team leaders. In contrast to foremen, the team leaders don’t stand on the sidelines observing how the teams work. They work alongside six-person groups, each one including an engineer.
Coventry bristles if he sees engineers at their desks while he’s walking through the plant. "Having engineers on the floor enables us to solve problems right away when they happen," he says.
The shift structure is also different. Most auto plants have two shifts: a day and night shift, five days a week. The more senior workers usually get first pick, which means they work days, while younger employees work nights.
At GEMA, workers rotate shifts in crews of three, allowing the plant to have nearly continuous operation—21 hours a day, 6 days a week, 294 days of the year—while employees work only 196 days a year.
Under this schedule, hourly employees work 10 hours a day, four days a week, alternating between days and nights. Every third week of their rotation, they get five consecutive days off, on top of vacation time. The day shift is 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the night shift is 4:30 p.m. to 3 a.m., which includes an unpaid half-hour break and two 12-minute breaks.
The trade-off is that workers have to reset their body clocks to alternate between working days and nights in 10-hour stretches, instead of the usual eight-hour shifts.
"But that allows our workers to come in 49 days less than at a traditional plant," Coventry says, noting that at most auto plants, workers come in 245 days a year.
"Those are days that they don’t have to spend on child care or drive on $3-a-gallon gas."
Very few companies have workers alternating between days and nights because it can be tough, particularly for older workers, to shift their sleeping patterns, says Acacia Aguirre, medical director at Circadian Technologies, an international consulting firm that helps companies with shift work. But if workers can be in bed by 3:30 or 4 a.m., it’s not that bad. They can still go to sleep while it’s dark outside and will probably sleep until 8 or 9 a.m., she says.
However, workers who have to travel long distances to get home should be careful because the hours between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. are when people are the least alert, Aguirre says.
Getting union buy-in
Bringing a new concept to the table is never easy in labor relations, but GEMA’s management was ready to spend as much time as needed explaining the benefits of the workforce model. The UAW initially was concerned about the "four A’s" concept, says Bruce Baumbach, the GEMA plant manager who helped oversee the negotiations.
"Their concern was that it would give management the ability to pull out anybody, anytime," he says.
Baumbach explained to the union leaders that the idea was to have a flexible model and that it would encompass all positions, including managers.
GEMA management also had to spend a lot of time making union leaders comfortable with the shift structure.
"They felt that people should be able to decide what shifts they hold," Baumbach says.
But the reason for the alternate shifts wasn’t just to increase productivity. It was also cultural, Baumbach says. By having alternating shifts, GEMA wanted to give workers the opportunity to know and work with one another and with salaried employees, who are only in during the daytime.
"Especially since the management team is mostly in on days, we want all of our people to be able to experience working with them," Baumbach says. "The union understood that."
But the union was also concerned about how its members would adapt to working days some weeks and nights during others. To address this, GEMA developed a counseling session to give new employees tips on how to adjust their internal clocks to the changes, Dunning says.
The UAW signed an agreement that lasts until 2011.
"The UAW leadership understands the competitive situation that we are in," Coventry says. "None of us are happy about it, but they are realistic. The only reason they support this is because they believe it will allow us to be here in 40 years."
UAW officials didn’t return calls seeking comment.
Creating a culture
Getting the right people in the door was the next challenge. "Creating a plant around the concepts of flexibility and problem solving really comes down to the people we hire," Coventry says.
GEMA placed ads in local newspapers and online and reached out to various organizations within a 75-mile radius of Dundee, Dunning says. For example, GEMA worked with Focus: Hope, a Detroit civil rights organization that promotes diversity and also has a machining technology institute.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The time and money spent of finding good employees are GEMA are considerable, but so is the payoff in terms of workforce creativity. "The amount of time from problem to solution is shorter than I have ever seen it in my 17 years at Chrysler."
--Mark Dunning, senior manager of human resources
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"They helped us identify diverse prospects with good technical and collaborative skills," Dunning says.
Applicants to GEMA have to go through a grueling screening process that can take up to 12 hours. Only one in five candidates are accepted.
The process, which was developed with the help of Development Dimensions International, a Pittsburgh-based leadership development consultancy, requires candidates to take two one-hour exams designed to determine whether they are a good fit for GEMA’s team-based environment.
Applicants who score well are asked to take a four-hour interactive assessment, where they are evaluated as individuals and as members of teams. The assessments are meant to evaluate how they would handle hypothetical challenges facing the plant. For example, if a certain process within the plant wasn’t running efficiently, applicants would be asked to work as a team to figure out how to address the situation.
"We want to see not just that they are offering up ideas, but that they were open to others’ ideas," Dunning says.
The final step is an interview with the operations managers and floor leaders, during which candidates are again asked about how they would handle different types of situations.
The process costs "in the four figures" per hire, Dunning says. So far, he believes the investment has been worth it.
"The amount of time from problem to solution is shorter than I have ever seen it in my 17 years at Chrysler," he says.
GEMA’s hourly hires are mostly people from small and midsized auto supply shops who are accustomed to taking on several roles at once and solving problems quickly, Dunning says.
The company has also hired five machinists from Northwest Airlines and 12 graduates of Monroe Community College, which is just 14 miles away from the plant.
The culture of problem solving is evident when walking around the plant. White boards listing issues that need attention are positioned in different corners of the plant floor. Each board shows a chart of when the problem was identified, the status of it and who is working on it.
Giant electronic screens resembling scoreboards in a sports arena keep a running tab of productivity. These boards, which hang from the ceiling of the plant, indicate in red any machinery parts that are ending their run time and need to be replaced. Most parts don’t last indefinitely, and the boards alert workers so that they can replace them before they malfunction.
GEMA also has a performance management system that alerts workers to delays or breakdowns in productivity. This information is Web-based and available on computers as well as on a display board in the plant, says Dennis Cocco, president and founder of Activplant, the provider of the performance management system.
In most plants, he says, only foremen have access to this information, but at GEMA everyone can see where a problem occurs.
"This supports the culture of empowerment that defines GEMA," Cocco says. "It makes everyone more focused on fixing the problem."
To reward problem solvers, GEMA has a recognition program. Peers can reward one another, and managers can reward teams or individuals. Rewards range from a pizza lunch to American Express gift certificates.
GEMA also is developing a bonus program for employees who come up with innovative solutions to problems. Such incentive pay is almost unheard of at traditional auto plants.
"Bonuses will be based on meeting specific performance metrics," Dunning says.
But the real motivation for workers to be innovative is that it makes their jobs easier, Coventry says. And analysts say he isn’t being trite.
"In the auto industry, the best motivator you can give workers today is job security," McAlinden says.
Hurdles
The question remains whether GEMA’s workforce model is replicable. It’s one thing to build a plant from scratch, but it’s a completely different challenge to apply this model to an existing plant, where workers are already accustomed to doing things a certain way, analysts say.
There is also the concern about whether workers will be able to alternate between day and night shifts on a long-term basis. So far, GEMA’s employees seem to be adjusting. The plant’s turnover is 7 percent, slightly higher than the 5 percent industry average. Its absenteeism rate is 1.1 percent, including vacation and bereavement leave. That is significantly lower than the 14 percent industry average.
The biggest hurdle for GEMA, though, may be persuading the local UAW chapters throughout the country to accept this new way of doing things.
DaimlerChrysler, for one, is convinced this is the way to go, and it is implementing the GEMA model in new and existing plants as contracts come up for renewal, says Ed Saenz, a DaimlerChrysler spokesman.
In April, the automaker signed agreements to use the GEMA model at plants in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Trenton, Michigan.
"It’s a question of survival," says Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW Local 12 in Toledo, Ohio. He has negotiated for a job classification structure and team approach similar to GEMA’s at a DaimlerChrysler Jeep plant. "To compete, we need to be creative, or we lose our jobs."
From India, Pune
101Absolutely agree with your comments on the current state of Education esp the way it is taught with more emphasis on learning by rote..or mugging rather than understanding the concepts & questioning them as well..as i mentioned earlier that the creativity of children goes down as she/he goes through the schooling..nevertheless some schools have recognized them and efforts are to instill & develop the same..
Thanks for sharing your thoughts...
Regards,
Rajat
Engine of Change
Innovative plant practices at the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance serve as an example of how U.S. automakers may be able to better stand up to stiff global competitiion.
By Jessica Marquez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s a Thursday morning in early April, and the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance plant in Dundee, Michigan, is open as it always is, 21 hours a day, six days a week, 294 days a year.
But a visitor to the plant might wonder where all the workers are.
True, for an auto engine plant, GEMA is more automated and thus leaner than most. The facility’s total headcount is 275, significantly less than a typical engine plant, which has 600 to 2,000 workers.
But that’s not why the assembly lines seem empty, GEMA president Bruce Coventry says. "Since we’re ahead of schedule, a lot of our people are in training," he says.
Sure enough, down the hall are three rooms filled with employees being taught a wide array of subjects, ranging from how to assemble an engine to the study of mathematical formulas designed to teach problem-solving skills.
Over the next several months, these employees will receive up to 1,160 hours of such training in class and on the assembly floor.
"The fact that we are ahead of our production schedule allows us to focus our people on problem solving and continuous improvement," Coventry says. "That’s a luxury that most organizations don’t usually have."
And that’s why automakers from around the world, including GEMA’s three owners—DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai—are keeping close track of this facility, located 60 miles outside of Detroit.
As General Motors and Ford seek to shed thousands of their union-represented employees, they are looking ahead to what kind of workforce they will need to compete in the increasingly global market.
"They need a new business model for labor agreements and new kinds of workers," says Sean McAlinden, chief economist and vice president of research at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Many are thinking that GEMA may prove to be that model, he says.
The Dundee facility, which opened in October, stands out from other auto plants in every aspect of how it manages its workforce. Its hourly employees are highly educated and rotate jobs and shifts to provide for greater flexibility. That’s an unheard of concept in the traditional auto plant, where each worker is usually assigned to one and only one job.
Another unique aspect of GEMA’s workforce model is that contractors, whom the plant refers to as "partners," work alongside assembly workers and engineers, sporting the same black-and-white uniforms. "We want everyone to feel like they are part of a team," Coventry says.
But the most unheard of thing for the auto industry is that the United Auto Workers has agreed to the concept.
"This is an agreement that every automaker is looking at with laser eyes," McAlinden says.
GEMA expects to open a second facility in October on the same premises. At full capacity the Dundee plants will have 532 workers and produce 840,000 engines annually. Its goal is to be the most productive engine plant in the world, beating the industry standard of 1.8 hours of production per engine, says Mark Dunning, senior manager of human resources. The company says that so far GEMA is on track to hit those numbers, though it will not disclose preliminary data.
The initial investment for the two plants was $804 million, 50 percent less than DaimlerChrysler had ever invested in an engine plant, Coventry says.
The automakers’ joint venture also has two non-GEMA plants in South Korea and one in Japan that produce engines for Hyundai and Mitsubishi, respectively. When all of the plants are operational by year’s end, the venture will have the capacity to produce 1.8 million engines annually.
GEMA's origin
Coventry, who had been an engine plant manager for Chrysler since 1995, was the logical choice to come up with the idea for GEMA in 2001. Chrysler had recently bought a stake in Hyundai and Mitsubishi, and Thomas LaSorda, then head of DaimlerChrysler’s engine and transmission division, wanted to come up with ways for the three companies to collaborate.
All three organizations needed four-cylinder engines. Coventry was LaSorda’s pick to help lead the project.
A graduate of General Motors Institute, an engineering school established by General Motors and now called Kettering University, Coventry wanted to find a way to get rid of the waste and inefficiencies he had seen in traditional plants.
"My pet peeves are bureaucracy, structure and management," he says.
Over the next several months, Coventry and a team of executives from the three automakers brainstormed over meetings in Korea and the U.S.
During these discussions, the group came up with a list of companies within and outside of the industry, such as Dell, Wal-Mart and Toyota, to serve as benchmarks for the business model they wanted.
Like its Japanese peers, the alliance wanted to focus on kaizen, the Japanese term for continuous improvement. But Coventry says that GEMA doesn’t want to just replicate Toyota, which he concedes is "the rabbit" all automakers are trying to catch.
"We are doing many things that a Toyota employee would recognize, but the big differentiator is that our workforce has a much higher level of technical skill," he says.
GEMA’s nonexempt workers, who start at $21 an hour and work up to $30 within five years, must have either a two-year technical degree, a skilled journeyman’s card or five years’ experience in advanced machining. This level of education is key to GEMA being more flexible, and thus faster than its competitors, Dunning says.
The other guiding principles of the plant’s culture are problem solving and "the four A’s": anyone can do anything anytime, anywhere. This means that workers rotate jobs—a model that is designed to give the plant more flexibility. Everyone on the floor has a similar title: They are "team members" and "team leaders."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Creating a plant around the concepts of flexibility and problem solving really comes down to the people we hire."
--Bruce Coventry
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By rotating jobs, the plant hopes to keep workers engaged and reduce the potential for injury, Coventry says. The chance of workers developing ergonomic injuries is lower if they aren’t repeating the exact same motions all day long, he says. So far there have been no ergonomical injuries at the plant.
There are also no foremen overseeing the workers at GEMA. In their place are the team leaders. In contrast to foremen, the team leaders don’t stand on the sidelines observing how the teams work. They work alongside six-person groups, each one including an engineer.
Coventry bristles if he sees engineers at their desks while he’s walking through the plant. "Having engineers on the floor enables us to solve problems right away when they happen," he says.
The shift structure is also different. Most auto plants have two shifts: a day and night shift, five days a week. The more senior workers usually get first pick, which means they work days, while younger employees work nights.
At GEMA, workers rotate shifts in crews of three, allowing the plant to have nearly continuous operation—21 hours a day, 6 days a week, 294 days of the year—while employees work only 196 days a year.
Under this schedule, hourly employees work 10 hours a day, four days a week, alternating between days and nights. Every third week of their rotation, they get five consecutive days off, on top of vacation time. The day shift is 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the night shift is 4:30 p.m. to 3 a.m., which includes an unpaid half-hour break and two 12-minute breaks.
The trade-off is that workers have to reset their body clocks to alternate between working days and nights in 10-hour stretches, instead of the usual eight-hour shifts.
"But that allows our workers to come in 49 days less than at a traditional plant," Coventry says, noting that at most auto plants, workers come in 245 days a year.
"Those are days that they don’t have to spend on child care or drive on $3-a-gallon gas."
Very few companies have workers alternating between days and nights because it can be tough, particularly for older workers, to shift their sleeping patterns, says Acacia Aguirre, medical director at Circadian Technologies, an international consulting firm that helps companies with shift work. But if workers can be in bed by 3:30 or 4 a.m., it’s not that bad. They can still go to sleep while it’s dark outside and will probably sleep until 8 or 9 a.m., she says.
However, workers who have to travel long distances to get home should be careful because the hours between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. are when people are the least alert, Aguirre says.
Getting union buy-in
Bringing a new concept to the table is never easy in labor relations, but GEMA’s management was ready to spend as much time as needed explaining the benefits of the workforce model. The UAW initially was concerned about the "four A’s" concept, says Bruce Baumbach, the GEMA plant manager who helped oversee the negotiations.
"Their concern was that it would give management the ability to pull out anybody, anytime," he says.
Baumbach explained to the union leaders that the idea was to have a flexible model and that it would encompass all positions, including managers.
GEMA management also had to spend a lot of time making union leaders comfortable with the shift structure.
"They felt that people should be able to decide what shifts they hold," Baumbach says.
But the reason for the alternate shifts wasn’t just to increase productivity. It was also cultural, Baumbach says. By having alternating shifts, GEMA wanted to give workers the opportunity to know and work with one another and with salaried employees, who are only in during the daytime.
"Especially since the management team is mostly in on days, we want all of our people to be able to experience working with them," Baumbach says. "The union understood that."
But the union was also concerned about how its members would adapt to working days some weeks and nights during others. To address this, GEMA developed a counseling session to give new employees tips on how to adjust their internal clocks to the changes, Dunning says.
The UAW signed an agreement that lasts until 2011.
"The UAW leadership understands the competitive situation that we are in," Coventry says. "None of us are happy about it, but they are realistic. The only reason they support this is because they believe it will allow us to be here in 40 years."
UAW officials didn’t return calls seeking comment.
Creating a culture
Getting the right people in the door was the next challenge. "Creating a plant around the concepts of flexibility and problem solving really comes down to the people we hire," Coventry says.
GEMA placed ads in local newspapers and online and reached out to various organizations within a 75-mile radius of Dundee, Dunning says. For example, GEMA worked with Focus: Hope, a Detroit civil rights organization that promotes diversity and also has a machining technology institute.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The time and money spent of finding good employees are GEMA are considerable, but so is the payoff in terms of workforce creativity. "The amount of time from problem to solution is shorter than I have ever seen it in my 17 years at Chrysler."
--Mark Dunning, senior manager of human resources
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"They helped us identify diverse prospects with good technical and collaborative skills," Dunning says.
Applicants to GEMA have to go through a grueling screening process that can take up to 12 hours. Only one in five candidates are accepted.
The process, which was developed with the help of Development Dimensions International, a Pittsburgh-based leadership development consultancy, requires candidates to take two one-hour exams designed to determine whether they are a good fit for GEMA’s team-based environment.
Applicants who score well are asked to take a four-hour interactive assessment, where they are evaluated as individuals and as members of teams. The assessments are meant to evaluate how they would handle hypothetical challenges facing the plant. For example, if a certain process within the plant wasn’t running efficiently, applicants would be asked to work as a team to figure out how to address the situation.
"We want to see not just that they are offering up ideas, but that they were open to others’ ideas," Dunning says.
The final step is an interview with the operations managers and floor leaders, during which candidates are again asked about how they would handle different types of situations.
The process costs "in the four figures" per hire, Dunning says. So far, he believes the investment has been worth it.
"The amount of time from problem to solution is shorter than I have ever seen it in my 17 years at Chrysler," he says.
GEMA’s hourly hires are mostly people from small and midsized auto supply shops who are accustomed to taking on several roles at once and solving problems quickly, Dunning says.
The company has also hired five machinists from Northwest Airlines and 12 graduates of Monroe Community College, which is just 14 miles away from the plant.
The culture of problem solving is evident when walking around the plant. White boards listing issues that need attention are positioned in different corners of the plant floor. Each board shows a chart of when the problem was identified, the status of it and who is working on it.
Giant electronic screens resembling scoreboards in a sports arena keep a running tab of productivity. These boards, which hang from the ceiling of the plant, indicate in red any machinery parts that are ending their run time and need to be replaced. Most parts don’t last indefinitely, and the boards alert workers so that they can replace them before they malfunction.
GEMA also has a performance management system that alerts workers to delays or breakdowns in productivity. This information is Web-based and available on computers as well as on a display board in the plant, says Dennis Cocco, president and founder of Activplant, the provider of the performance management system.
In most plants, he says, only foremen have access to this information, but at GEMA everyone can see where a problem occurs.
"This supports the culture of empowerment that defines GEMA," Cocco says. "It makes everyone more focused on fixing the problem."
To reward problem solvers, GEMA has a recognition program. Peers can reward one another, and managers can reward teams or individuals. Rewards range from a pizza lunch to American Express gift certificates.
GEMA also is developing a bonus program for employees who come up with innovative solutions to problems. Such incentive pay is almost unheard of at traditional auto plants.
"Bonuses will be based on meeting specific performance metrics," Dunning says.
But the real motivation for workers to be innovative is that it makes their jobs easier, Coventry says. And analysts say he isn’t being trite.
"In the auto industry, the best motivator you can give workers today is job security," McAlinden says.
Hurdles
The question remains whether GEMA’s workforce model is replicable. It’s one thing to build a plant from scratch, but it’s a completely different challenge to apply this model to an existing plant, where workers are already accustomed to doing things a certain way, analysts say.
There is also the concern about whether workers will be able to alternate between day and night shifts on a long-term basis. So far, GEMA’s employees seem to be adjusting. The plant’s turnover is 7 percent, slightly higher than the 5 percent industry average. Its absenteeism rate is 1.1 percent, including vacation and bereavement leave. That is significantly lower than the 14 percent industry average.
The biggest hurdle for GEMA, though, may be persuading the local UAW chapters throughout the country to accept this new way of doing things.
DaimlerChrysler, for one, is convinced this is the way to go, and it is implementing the GEMA model in new and existing plants as contracts come up for renewal, says Ed Saenz, a DaimlerChrysler spokesman.
In April, the automaker signed agreements to use the GEMA model at plants in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Trenton, Michigan.
"It’s a question of survival," says Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW Local 12 in Toledo, Ohio. He has negotiated for a job classification structure and team approach similar to GEMA’s at a DaimlerChrysler Jeep plant. "To compete, we need to be creative, or we lose our jobs."
From India, Pune
Dear all,
Am sure we all have done Brainstorming ..what about Negative Brainstorming???..even it was a relevation for me..please read on..
http://allbusiness.com <link updated to site home>
I'm sure all of you will have used brainstorming to generate ideas. Negative brainstorming looks to generate ideas, too, but ones that will help you achieve the opposite of what you really want to achieve. As an example, we might brainstorm 'how we can ensure our organisation is fined for a health and safety breach?' or 'how can we ensure our meetings are a complete waste of time or badly run?'
When we have generated our list of ideas and actions, we can do one of two things. We can either 'change the signs' so that we have a list of things that will help us achieve what we really want and/or we can ask ourselves 'how many of these things are we doing?' This can be an extremely interesting exercise and the answers often bring an unpleasant surprise or two!
So let's play. What are your ideas to ensure that a Six Sigma initiative fails? The list below gives you a few good ideas, but I'm sure that you can add many of your own.
* Lack of real management commitment - simply a lip-service approach;
* Ensure the improvement efforts are not linked to the strategy or business plan;
* Don't train our managers to manage processes;
* Ensure there are no 'Six Sigma objectives' in the managers personal goals and objectives for the year;
* Ensure the reward and recognition policy excludes the behaviours and goals associated with Six Sigma;
* Ensure the people working in the processes are not involved in any improvement efforts;
* Make all decisions based on gut feel rather than data;
* Make no differentiation between natural and special cause variation ensuring that we tamper with our processes and increase variation as a result;
* Ignore the real 'voice of the customer' and assume that you know what your customer's requirements are.
Negative brainstorming can be a fun exercise and you'll find that most people seem to be very creative in negative mode.
Culture plays a big part in successful Six Sigma initiatives. And the culture, systems and outputs of organisations reflect the thinking that goes on within them, but particularly at the top.
Consider this quotation from Albert Einstein:
'The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking which caused them'.
Six Sigma thinking is what's needed; and General Electric's retired chairman and CEO Jack Welch demonstrates that thinking in so many ways.
He was determined to make Six Sigma a natural part of the way GE's business was (and is) run. That involved total commitment from him to put it and keep it on the agenda and to integrate it with everything that GE does. Managers do not get promotion, for example, unless they have completed specific Six Sigma training, passed an exam and successfully led improvement projects. So guess what, they do it! But what sort of thinking goes on in the minds of so many other business leaders and managers who appear to play games when it comes to achieving quality. I use the word 'play', because it's clear that very few are serious about achieving it. If we ask the question, 'who's in favour of defect-free products and processes?' I'm sure everyone would say 'yes', particularly your customers. And yet management behaviour suggests otherwise. Consider the number of management fads that have been and gone; or the number of total quality initiatives that burned briefly bright then faded and died. How could it happen? How could organisations invest all that time, effort and money into them and yet allow them to fail? The simple yet complex answer is leadership and management.
At least some of the actions that leaders and managers must do have been identified in the earlier articles in this series, and indeed in the negative brainstorm list above. For me, one of the keys is for managers to understand that their role is to manage processes. And I really mean manage.
The problem is that very few organisations train their managers to manage processes, though. As a consequence, they tend to focus on managing and blaming people for things that go wrong. Deming summed this up well when he said: "Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure to meet customer expectations are related to deficiencies in systems and process, rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badgering individuals to do better."
The role of the manager should be to work on the process, with the people in the process and to continually find ways of improving it. One of the first things for the manager to then realise is the need to meet the requirements of the process.
Very simply, if we are to meet the requirements of our customers, we need the right number of people in place at the right time, and with the right skills, knowledge and experience. And we need to ensure that there are training plans in place to develop their potential or close any gaps in their capabilities.
We need the right equipment in terms of machines and software and we need to make sure it's maintained and kept up to date. And, of course, we need the right facilities for our activities.
Procedures can be linked to process maps, but must be kept up to date and presented in a way that's user friendly so that they are understood, followed and actively used. The same is true of 'standards', which apply. These may be to do with regulatory requirements, or service standards and authority limits, for example.
The requirements of the process may seem obvious, but so often they are overlooked. Ensuring they are met is part of the manager's role in managing processes.
So, in future years, will your customers be experiencing service that represents an entirely new dimension or will it be 'business as usual?' As leaders it's your choice.
How can we ensure meetings are a disaster?
How can we ensure the organisation is fined for health and safety breach?
'Change the signs to positive', or ask 'how many of these things are we doing?!'
SIDEBAR
A process is managed when there's a balance of input, process and output measures
AUTHOR_AFFILIATION
John Morgan is a director of Catalyst Consulting. His many years of experience include operational and management roles for major insurance companies. He is a regular speaker on the conference circuit, and leads the BQF workshops 'Six Sigma and business excellence'. He has co-written 'SPC in the office' - a practical guide to continuous improvement and a range of articles for quality press magazines.
From India, Pune
Am sure we all have done Brainstorming ..what about Negative Brainstorming???..even it was a relevation for me..please read on..
http://allbusiness.com <link updated to site home>
I'm sure all of you will have used brainstorming to generate ideas. Negative brainstorming looks to generate ideas, too, but ones that will help you achieve the opposite of what you really want to achieve. As an example, we might brainstorm 'how we can ensure our organisation is fined for a health and safety breach?' or 'how can we ensure our meetings are a complete waste of time or badly run?'
When we have generated our list of ideas and actions, we can do one of two things. We can either 'change the signs' so that we have a list of things that will help us achieve what we really want and/or we can ask ourselves 'how many of these things are we doing?' This can be an extremely interesting exercise and the answers often bring an unpleasant surprise or two!
So let's play. What are your ideas to ensure that a Six Sigma initiative fails? The list below gives you a few good ideas, but I'm sure that you can add many of your own.
* Lack of real management commitment - simply a lip-service approach;
* Ensure the improvement efforts are not linked to the strategy or business plan;
* Don't train our managers to manage processes;
* Ensure there are no 'Six Sigma objectives' in the managers personal goals and objectives for the year;
* Ensure the reward and recognition policy excludes the behaviours and goals associated with Six Sigma;
* Ensure the people working in the processes are not involved in any improvement efforts;
* Make all decisions based on gut feel rather than data;
* Make no differentiation between natural and special cause variation ensuring that we tamper with our processes and increase variation as a result;
* Ignore the real 'voice of the customer' and assume that you know what your customer's requirements are.
Negative brainstorming can be a fun exercise and you'll find that most people seem to be very creative in negative mode.
Culture plays a big part in successful Six Sigma initiatives. And the culture, systems and outputs of organisations reflect the thinking that goes on within them, but particularly at the top.
Consider this quotation from Albert Einstein:
'The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking which caused them'.
Six Sigma thinking is what's needed; and General Electric's retired chairman and CEO Jack Welch demonstrates that thinking in so many ways.
He was determined to make Six Sigma a natural part of the way GE's business was (and is) run. That involved total commitment from him to put it and keep it on the agenda and to integrate it with everything that GE does. Managers do not get promotion, for example, unless they have completed specific Six Sigma training, passed an exam and successfully led improvement projects. So guess what, they do it! But what sort of thinking goes on in the minds of so many other business leaders and managers who appear to play games when it comes to achieving quality. I use the word 'play', because it's clear that very few are serious about achieving it. If we ask the question, 'who's in favour of defect-free products and processes?' I'm sure everyone would say 'yes', particularly your customers. And yet management behaviour suggests otherwise. Consider the number of management fads that have been and gone; or the number of total quality initiatives that burned briefly bright then faded and died. How could it happen? How could organisations invest all that time, effort and money into them and yet allow them to fail? The simple yet complex answer is leadership and management.
At least some of the actions that leaders and managers must do have been identified in the earlier articles in this series, and indeed in the negative brainstorm list above. For me, one of the keys is for managers to understand that their role is to manage processes. And I really mean manage.
The problem is that very few organisations train their managers to manage processes, though. As a consequence, they tend to focus on managing and blaming people for things that go wrong. Deming summed this up well when he said: "Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure to meet customer expectations are related to deficiencies in systems and process, rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badgering individuals to do better."
The role of the manager should be to work on the process, with the people in the process and to continually find ways of improving it. One of the first things for the manager to then realise is the need to meet the requirements of the process.
Very simply, if we are to meet the requirements of our customers, we need the right number of people in place at the right time, and with the right skills, knowledge and experience. And we need to ensure that there are training plans in place to develop their potential or close any gaps in their capabilities.
We need the right equipment in terms of machines and software and we need to make sure it's maintained and kept up to date. And, of course, we need the right facilities for our activities.
Procedures can be linked to process maps, but must be kept up to date and presented in a way that's user friendly so that they are understood, followed and actively used. The same is true of 'standards', which apply. These may be to do with regulatory requirements, or service standards and authority limits, for example.
The requirements of the process may seem obvious, but so often they are overlooked. Ensuring they are met is part of the manager's role in managing processes.
So, in future years, will your customers be experiencing service that represents an entirely new dimension or will it be 'business as usual?' As leaders it's your choice.
How can we ensure meetings are a disaster?
How can we ensure the organisation is fined for health and safety breach?
'Change the signs to positive', or ask 'how many of these things are we doing?!'
SIDEBAR
A process is managed when there's a balance of input, process and output measures
AUTHOR_AFFILIATION
John Morgan is a director of Catalyst Consulting. His many years of experience include operational and management roles for major insurance companies. He is a regular speaker on the conference circuit, and leads the BQF workshops 'Six Sigma and business excellence'. He has co-written 'SPC in the office' - a practical guide to continuous improvement and a range of articles for quality press magazines.
From India, Pune
It's of nice way to lead one's life to dream and realizing them on the planet. But how many of us get real successful to build a techno-marvel organization. The focus and commitment plays and important role once you have dreams floating. It's focus to lead the path to it. If it's not leading to dreams than you need to change your focus.
From India, Delhi
From India, Delhi
Hi Umalme,
Thats the point which has been underlying baseline across all my posting in this forum..
Besides unless we all implement these in our personal n professional lives..we wouldn't be able to make an impact..
Further to this posting..am attaching a note by David Ogilvy,
In the years after World War II, advertising was America's glamour industry. The competition was fierce for the best and brighest talent. David Ogilvy stood at the top of this time and was well known for writing "rules" for great advertising based primarily on his expriences as a direct marketer and market researcher. His core belief though was that great advertising started with great and intelligent people. He said that he was looking for "gentlemen with brains". And at that time it primarily was "gentemen" and not "gentlepeople".
Ogilvy drove home the importance of attracting great people to his office managers through a unique and effective device--he gave them dolls. Not just any dolls. A set of the nesting, Russian matrioshka dolls. Every new office manager received a set with a personal note from Ogilvy inside the smallest doll. The note said "If we each hire people smaller less capable than ourselves, we will become a company of dwarves. If we hire people greater than ourselves, we will become a company of giants".
A powerful lesson, powerfully delivered. There are two lessons here. The obvious one is that we need to have the guts and vision to hire people who are better than us (at least at some aspects of our jobs). The second is more subtle. As business leaders, we need to think about how we send messages to our team in ways that get them heard.
From India, Pune
Thats the point which has been underlying baseline across all my posting in this forum..
Besides unless we all implement these in our personal n professional lives..we wouldn't be able to make an impact..
Further to this posting..am attaching a note by David Ogilvy,
In the years after World War II, advertising was America's glamour industry. The competition was fierce for the best and brighest talent. David Ogilvy stood at the top of this time and was well known for writing "rules" for great advertising based primarily on his expriences as a direct marketer and market researcher. His core belief though was that great advertising started with great and intelligent people. He said that he was looking for "gentlemen with brains". And at that time it primarily was "gentemen" and not "gentlepeople".
Ogilvy drove home the importance of attracting great people to his office managers through a unique and effective device--he gave them dolls. Not just any dolls. A set of the nesting, Russian matrioshka dolls. Every new office manager received a set with a personal note from Ogilvy inside the smallest doll. The note said "If we each hire people smaller less capable than ourselves, we will become a company of dwarves. If we hire people greater than ourselves, we will become a company of giants".
A powerful lesson, powerfully delivered. There are two lessons here. The obvious one is that we need to have the guts and vision to hire people who are better than us (at least at some aspects of our jobs). The second is more subtle. As business leaders, we need to think about how we send messages to our team in ways that get them heard.
From India, Pune
Creative Day Jobs: 7 Key Reasons Why A Creative Day Job Can Be Great For YOUR CreativityBy Dan Goodwin
Whatever your creative talents, and however much you nurture them, the chances are, like the majority of creative people, you’re not able to make a full time living through them.
Maybe this is through not yet being in a place where you have enough exposure and opportunity to earn money from your creative work.
Maybe it’s because the work you create is not something that could be easily marketed in large enough volumes or at a high enough monetary value to enable you to live off solely.
Or maybe you’ve made the choice that your creative work is not something you wish to do for profit at all, and the experience and pleasure of creating is what’s important to you.
Whichever of these applies to you, we all have some basic needs in our lives and many of these require us to earn money.
So working in a day job that you can enjoy, is not too stressful, pays your bills each month, and gives you time to create the work that is important to you, makes a lot of sense.
Here are 7 of the top reasons why a creative day job can, more than being a financial necessity, actually be fantastic for your creativity in a variety of different ways -
1. You can generate extra funds to invest in your creativity. Whether it’s to buy materials, equipment, books, or courses, having extra income to put aside to invest in your creative efforts can make a huge difference to your development as an artist. At the simplest level, if you don’t have the equipment you need to create, you’re not going to be able to create!
2. It can be a constant source of inspiration. Working somewhere that’s busy and stimulating, such as a café, shop or school, can provide an endless source of inspiration. Once you begin to form the habit of absorbing your environment with senses hungry for creative ideas, you’ll notice your creativity is continually fed and stimulated.
3. It relieves the pressure of having to be constantly creative. However great our talents, none of us can be creative every waking hour of every day! By committing time each day/week to working in a day job, we give our creativity some time off to recuperate, and ease the expectation (mainly from ourselves) of having to produce amazing works of creativity in every single act we do.
4. You can meet a wide variety of new people. People are as interesting as you want them to be. By having a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to be genuinely interested in the lives of others, you’ll not only make friends quickly, you’ll also find life so much more interesting and stimulating yourself.
5. It increases your confidence and self-esteem. Choosing to take responsibility for yourself and your life shows strength, independence and that you care about yourself. This naturally builds up your self-esteem and leads to greater confidence in all things you do, including the creative projects you undertake.
6. You make new contacts and build networks. Depending on the creative day job you have, there are a number of opportunities to talk with people about your own creative work and share similar experiences, joys and struggles. For example if you’re a budding painter, and work in an art supplies store, it’s fairly easy to break the ice and start chatting to other artists who come in to buy similar materials to those you use.
7. You retain greater creative authenticity. Some people may see working a day job to support their creativity as a compromise in integrity or selling out in some way on the true purpose of their creative work. In fact, quite the opposite can happen. By relieving the pressure of having to make money from your creative projects, you can be freed to create the work you’re truly passionate about, without having to make any compromises.
If you have a creative day job already, which of the above do you relate to? Are there any other advantages you can add to the list?
If you’re considering finding a creative day job, maybe these reasons will help you decide whether it’s the right choice for you, and what kind of job may best suit your creative life.
Remember there’s no shame in supporting your creativity, and, as you can see from the evidence above, there’s an abundance of great benefits to be enjoyed.
© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin
Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin publishes “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. To Sign up today and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, visit http://www.CoachCreative.com
Article Source: <link outdated-removed>
From India, Pune
Whatever your creative talents, and however much you nurture them, the chances are, like the majority of creative people, you’re not able to make a full time living through them.
Maybe this is through not yet being in a place where you have enough exposure and opportunity to earn money from your creative work.
Maybe it’s because the work you create is not something that could be easily marketed in large enough volumes or at a high enough monetary value to enable you to live off solely.
Or maybe you’ve made the choice that your creative work is not something you wish to do for profit at all, and the experience and pleasure of creating is what’s important to you.
Whichever of these applies to you, we all have some basic needs in our lives and many of these require us to earn money.
So working in a day job that you can enjoy, is not too stressful, pays your bills each month, and gives you time to create the work that is important to you, makes a lot of sense.
Here are 7 of the top reasons why a creative day job can, more than being a financial necessity, actually be fantastic for your creativity in a variety of different ways -
1. You can generate extra funds to invest in your creativity. Whether it’s to buy materials, equipment, books, or courses, having extra income to put aside to invest in your creative efforts can make a huge difference to your development as an artist. At the simplest level, if you don’t have the equipment you need to create, you’re not going to be able to create!
2. It can be a constant source of inspiration. Working somewhere that’s busy and stimulating, such as a café, shop or school, can provide an endless source of inspiration. Once you begin to form the habit of absorbing your environment with senses hungry for creative ideas, you’ll notice your creativity is continually fed and stimulated.
3. It relieves the pressure of having to be constantly creative. However great our talents, none of us can be creative every waking hour of every day! By committing time each day/week to working in a day job, we give our creativity some time off to recuperate, and ease the expectation (mainly from ourselves) of having to produce amazing works of creativity in every single act we do.
4. You can meet a wide variety of new people. People are as interesting as you want them to be. By having a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to be genuinely interested in the lives of others, you’ll not only make friends quickly, you’ll also find life so much more interesting and stimulating yourself.
5. It increases your confidence and self-esteem. Choosing to take responsibility for yourself and your life shows strength, independence and that you care about yourself. This naturally builds up your self-esteem and leads to greater confidence in all things you do, including the creative projects you undertake.
6. You make new contacts and build networks. Depending on the creative day job you have, there are a number of opportunities to talk with people about your own creative work and share similar experiences, joys and struggles. For example if you’re a budding painter, and work in an art supplies store, it’s fairly easy to break the ice and start chatting to other artists who come in to buy similar materials to those you use.
7. You retain greater creative authenticity. Some people may see working a day job to support their creativity as a compromise in integrity or selling out in some way on the true purpose of their creative work. In fact, quite the opposite can happen. By relieving the pressure of having to make money from your creative projects, you can be freed to create the work you’re truly passionate about, without having to make any compromises.
If you have a creative day job already, which of the above do you relate to? Are there any other advantages you can add to the list?
If you’re considering finding a creative day job, maybe these reasons will help you decide whether it’s the right choice for you, and what kind of job may best suit your creative life.
Remember there’s no shame in supporting your creativity, and, as you can see from the evidence above, there’s an abundance of great benefits to be enjoyed.
© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin
Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin publishes “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. To Sign up today and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, visit http://www.CoachCreative.com
Article Source: <link outdated-removed>
From India, Pune
After going through such wonderful contributions by the members of Cite HR, I feel proud to be a part of them.
But to all of you, as a part of this, I have a few questions still in my mind.
Creativity is relative to the social group that one is brought up in. If that is true, then, How can we improve creativity in a person who has strictly limited himself to a very few social groups? And if that is not true, then what are the other crucial factors that enhace the creativity of a person?
I say this, because, I believe that knowledge comes from accumulation of experiences or observations, and consequently, that leads to creativity.
Please reply soon.
Regards,
VINAY
From India
But to all of you, as a part of this, I have a few questions still in my mind.
Creativity is relative to the social group that one is brought up in. If that is true, then, How can we improve creativity in a person who has strictly limited himself to a very few social groups? And if that is not true, then what are the other crucial factors that enhace the creativity of a person?
I say this, because, I believe that knowledge comes from accumulation of experiences or observations, and consequently, that leads to creativity.
Please reply soon.
Regards,
VINAY
From India
Hi Vinay,
Hmm..as per my experience on the study on this subject whether one is brought up in a secluded environment or not doesn't affect one's creativity..
For instance take the examples of scientists or authors who by n large remain reclusive have produced inentions & great literary works..or the scriptwriters/directors who remain in touch with the number of people to write/make films on relevant issues..
True..agree with you..therefore one's attitude is very important..
Creativity Is The KeyBy Kurt Hurley
“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.” –Buckminster Fuller
In my opinion, the greatest facet of life, about living is indeed our divine and inborn ability to create, nothing is as fully expansive (far-reaching) and rewarding…nothing! For example… Have you ever watched four and five-year-olds at play? They are starry-eyed, curious and highly creative in their games. They don’t know yet, what they don’t know. Their creative limits have no bounds; no one has impressed upon them that they can’t do something. They’re fearless explorers, artists, or musicians; some are even comedians in the making. They have not yet been pressured to conform and they think they can do anything and that nothing is beyond their capabilities.
Research shows that every human being is capable of creative thought. We have creative abilities that often show up very early in life. Studies show that the average adult thinks of only three to four alternate ideas for any given situation, while the average child can come up with sixty. They have proven that as far as creativity is concerned, quantity equals quality. Having the subjects make a list of ideas, they have shown that the longer the list, the higher the quality of the final solution. The very best ideas usually appear at the end of the list.
Actually, creativity is bred into us as humans; it’s in our genes - a part of our very DNA. Unfortunately, as we grow older, the pressures of having to grow up, go to school, get a job, all seem to repress our creative tendencies. The stress of everyday living, coupled with occasional dilemmas, leaves us too drained to be truly creative.
But creativity is power and is essential to our well-being. Without creativity, our lives become predictable, routine, boring, and pedantic. The good news is we can all be highly creative. Now I know you’re saying, “But I’m not at all creative. I can’t paint or even draw a straight line, I don’t know one note from another, and I’ve never been able to write worth a darn. Poetry? Don’t make me laugh!” Okay, so most of us are not Edison, DaVinci, Einstein, Mozart, or Shakespeare. However, we are all creative in our own way. We simply have to recognize our own unique talents and skills. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Are you constantly looking for new goals, something new to accomplish?
2. Do you like to look at what already exists and ask “What if?”
3. When you try something new and different, does it make you feel smarter?
4. Do you enjoy teaching someone a new skill?
5. Are you good at problem solving?
Then, pat yourself on the back - you are a “creative” person! Creativity doesn’t always result in a tangible product. Sometimes its ideas, problem solving, or teaching; but it is indeed, creativity in action. Creativity enables us to better ourselves, develop awareness, and expand our horizons as well as those of other people.
When the potential for creativity meets the promise of skill, you’ve made contact with the creative spirit. There’s no holding you back now. You’ve received that divine flash of inspiration, that “aha!” moment of illumination, and you are ready to take those creative risks. This is lucent creation!
Now, you’re probably wondering exactly what it is that you need to do to assure yourself of creative success. You do need certain tools and skills to accomplish this task. First, you need a certain expertise in whatever arena you’ve chosen to pursue your creativity in. If you have zero knowledge in the field of science, odds are you will not make the next fantastic breakthrough in medicine or invent the replacement for the wheel. You must find the field that is your special interest and skill setting. Some expertise is essential for success, believe me I never in a million years thought I would evolve into a motivator, a coach or an inspirator, but guess what…here I am.
The next tool essential for your success is the ability to think creatively in your chosen field - being able to imagine a whole realm of possibilities. That includes the ability to turn things over in your mind until you find the answer. Persistence is required - that determination to keep on tackling a problem until you solve it. Know when to turn things upside down and look at them differently. You must know when to nurture the process of creativity and when to let it rest in your mind until it’s ready to fly free and it might be wise to allow some time for this flow to...flow.
Another vital tool in this search for creativity is courage - to be willing to take the creative risks and try something you’ve never tried before. You have to be open to whatever new possibilities that present themselves to you. You never know when ideas will come.
Finally, you must have passion - the desire to succeed no matter what. It doesn’t matter what the end prize happens to be or what manner of compensation you might receive. The passion is all that’s important - the desire to make whatever works, no matter what. Albert Einstein said, “Sticking to it is the genius.”
Most importantly, you must face any creative risk with the mind of a child, be able to color outside of the lines. Childhood is when creativity first comes to you. Will it grow or be stunted? You should always play like a child.
Children may not realize it, but playtime is actually a learning process. It’s the brain’s favorite way to learn. The child learns about math, verbal skills, music, and visual arts during playtime. They learn to explore and they learn the thrill of discovery. They learn about their own culture and others as well. So, is it true that children are more creative than adults are?
During the Industrial Revolution, two hundred years ago, this country devised the educational system and started training people to be good little workers and always obey instructions. This didn’t leave much room for individuality or nonconformity in our thinking. The good news is that today’s educational system, for the most part, allows children to be more freethinking and creative.
Childlike creativity should be studied and emulated. Let yourself think that anything, even something outrageous, is possible. This will help you develop creative connections. The non-creative mind says, “I can’t,” but the creative mind says, “I can and here’s how!” If you can see, speak, hear, remember and understand, you too can be creative. Never, ever say you’re not creative. Whatever you believe or disbelieve about yourself, you’re right.
How do you feel about being creative? Do you tie creativity to strange, artsy, or flaky behavior? Do you feel suspicious of those with that description? Or maybe you automatically tie creativity with extremes of madness or psychosis. “I’m too down to earth to be creative!” you proclaim.
Sometimes you are in possession of facts already known to the world at large. The difference is in your organization and interpretation of those facts. Perhaps your creativity lies in your ability to take a room full of people and convince them to make a buying decision. Maybe you’ve saved your company millions of dollars with a single idea. Ever resolved a conflict in your family or company? Guess what? You’re creative!
Maybe you’ve even been told how talented you are in a particular area; you may even know it to be true. So why be shy about it? But what do you do about it? How do you go about unleashing all that talent? How do you nurture it?
Let’s go back to the idea of being more childlike, unhampered by daily life and stress. Let’s play! Grab a drawing pad and colored pencils, and draw circles and patterns. If you have children of your own, borrow one of their coloring books and crayons, and join them in the coloring fun. Make objects of outrageous colors, just as children do. Again, color outside the lines, way outside the lines! Find yourself some clay or Playdoh and start sculpting; it doesn’t have to be anything in particular; just have fun with it. Squish it, cut it, slice it, and then mash in all together again. Try making shapes with the clay.
Now you’re asking, “What on earth is the purpose of all that nonsense?” Well, there is no purpose, you just need to play, have fun, and be free. It’s amazing how much your brain will appreciate this ‘no purpose’ playtime. You suddenly discover that you’re more relaxed. You may even feel happy. Even your breathing rhythm is different while you’re playing. Instead of the short, shallow breaths you take when you’re stressed, you’re now breathing deeply. You’re not experiencing the ‘fight or flight’ sensation. You’re totally relaxed. You need to push the worries and stress aside once in a while. Do not worry about problems or deadlines, and just play, with no purpose whatsoever.
Just a few minutes a day of the ‘no purpose’ play will make a world of difference in your creativity, problem solving, mediating, teaching, or anything else that you do. You’ll soon realize it’s time to take that talent to the next level, so let that creativity come out more often and let yourself go. Stephen Nachmanovitch once said, “The most potent muse of all is our own inner child.”
Keep in mind though, that talent is not enough. Let me repeat this. You must have absolute passion and discipline to develop your creativity. You must be dedicated to commit to your talent. What does the word creative make you think about? Breathtaking art? Totally original thinking? Exciting musical composition? Astonishing inventions? Have you let yourself believe that it’s impossible for you to be creative?
You may have let yourself become a creature of habit over the years. Have you condemned yourself to be incapable of creative thought? Perhaps you’ve been stuck in a rut or boring routines, and you feel that you couldn’t possibly be capable of change.
Now, imagine how your life would be if you’re allowed to live it creatively, every day. You know you’re creative and talented. What if the world around you treated you as such and you were allowed to nurture that talent, enhance your skills, and give your creative personality the attention it needs and deserves? You’d trust your own creative passions, be capable of solving any problem, and embrace your own creativity as a part of your very life - one of the necessary components to your happiness and mental health.
Remember that pure enjoyment is a key ingredient in your creative life. Eileen Caddy said, “Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it.” I too must keep reminding myself to play, to let go of this trifle called adulthood.
Kurt's website http://www.kreatefitness.com, as well as his Provo Utah Private Fitness Facility Synergy Fitness Systems, specializes in in providing leading edge exercise and nutrition programs and the Neo Physis super premium supplement line. Kurt is also a successful author, speaker and innovative motivational pioneer.
From India, Pune
Hmm..as per my experience on the study on this subject whether one is brought up in a secluded environment or not doesn't affect one's creativity..
For instance take the examples of scientists or authors who by n large remain reclusive have produced inentions & great literary works..or the scriptwriters/directors who remain in touch with the number of people to write/make films on relevant issues..
True..agree with you..therefore one's attitude is very important..
Creativity Is The KeyBy Kurt Hurley
“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.” –Buckminster Fuller
In my opinion, the greatest facet of life, about living is indeed our divine and inborn ability to create, nothing is as fully expansive (far-reaching) and rewarding…nothing! For example… Have you ever watched four and five-year-olds at play? They are starry-eyed, curious and highly creative in their games. They don’t know yet, what they don’t know. Their creative limits have no bounds; no one has impressed upon them that they can’t do something. They’re fearless explorers, artists, or musicians; some are even comedians in the making. They have not yet been pressured to conform and they think they can do anything and that nothing is beyond their capabilities.
Research shows that every human being is capable of creative thought. We have creative abilities that often show up very early in life. Studies show that the average adult thinks of only three to four alternate ideas for any given situation, while the average child can come up with sixty. They have proven that as far as creativity is concerned, quantity equals quality. Having the subjects make a list of ideas, they have shown that the longer the list, the higher the quality of the final solution. The very best ideas usually appear at the end of the list.
Actually, creativity is bred into us as humans; it’s in our genes - a part of our very DNA. Unfortunately, as we grow older, the pressures of having to grow up, go to school, get a job, all seem to repress our creative tendencies. The stress of everyday living, coupled with occasional dilemmas, leaves us too drained to be truly creative.
But creativity is power and is essential to our well-being. Without creativity, our lives become predictable, routine, boring, and pedantic. The good news is we can all be highly creative. Now I know you’re saying, “But I’m not at all creative. I can’t paint or even draw a straight line, I don’t know one note from another, and I’ve never been able to write worth a darn. Poetry? Don’t make me laugh!” Okay, so most of us are not Edison, DaVinci, Einstein, Mozart, or Shakespeare. However, we are all creative in our own way. We simply have to recognize our own unique talents and skills. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Are you constantly looking for new goals, something new to accomplish?
2. Do you like to look at what already exists and ask “What if?”
3. When you try something new and different, does it make you feel smarter?
4. Do you enjoy teaching someone a new skill?
5. Are you good at problem solving?
Then, pat yourself on the back - you are a “creative” person! Creativity doesn’t always result in a tangible product. Sometimes its ideas, problem solving, or teaching; but it is indeed, creativity in action. Creativity enables us to better ourselves, develop awareness, and expand our horizons as well as those of other people.
When the potential for creativity meets the promise of skill, you’ve made contact with the creative spirit. There’s no holding you back now. You’ve received that divine flash of inspiration, that “aha!” moment of illumination, and you are ready to take those creative risks. This is lucent creation!
Now, you’re probably wondering exactly what it is that you need to do to assure yourself of creative success. You do need certain tools and skills to accomplish this task. First, you need a certain expertise in whatever arena you’ve chosen to pursue your creativity in. If you have zero knowledge in the field of science, odds are you will not make the next fantastic breakthrough in medicine or invent the replacement for the wheel. You must find the field that is your special interest and skill setting. Some expertise is essential for success, believe me I never in a million years thought I would evolve into a motivator, a coach or an inspirator, but guess what…here I am.
The next tool essential for your success is the ability to think creatively in your chosen field - being able to imagine a whole realm of possibilities. That includes the ability to turn things over in your mind until you find the answer. Persistence is required - that determination to keep on tackling a problem until you solve it. Know when to turn things upside down and look at them differently. You must know when to nurture the process of creativity and when to let it rest in your mind until it’s ready to fly free and it might be wise to allow some time for this flow to...flow.
Another vital tool in this search for creativity is courage - to be willing to take the creative risks and try something you’ve never tried before. You have to be open to whatever new possibilities that present themselves to you. You never know when ideas will come.
Finally, you must have passion - the desire to succeed no matter what. It doesn’t matter what the end prize happens to be or what manner of compensation you might receive. The passion is all that’s important - the desire to make whatever works, no matter what. Albert Einstein said, “Sticking to it is the genius.”
Most importantly, you must face any creative risk with the mind of a child, be able to color outside of the lines. Childhood is when creativity first comes to you. Will it grow or be stunted? You should always play like a child.
Children may not realize it, but playtime is actually a learning process. It’s the brain’s favorite way to learn. The child learns about math, verbal skills, music, and visual arts during playtime. They learn to explore and they learn the thrill of discovery. They learn about their own culture and others as well. So, is it true that children are more creative than adults are?
During the Industrial Revolution, two hundred years ago, this country devised the educational system and started training people to be good little workers and always obey instructions. This didn’t leave much room for individuality or nonconformity in our thinking. The good news is that today’s educational system, for the most part, allows children to be more freethinking and creative.
Childlike creativity should be studied and emulated. Let yourself think that anything, even something outrageous, is possible. This will help you develop creative connections. The non-creative mind says, “I can’t,” but the creative mind says, “I can and here’s how!” If you can see, speak, hear, remember and understand, you too can be creative. Never, ever say you’re not creative. Whatever you believe or disbelieve about yourself, you’re right.
How do you feel about being creative? Do you tie creativity to strange, artsy, or flaky behavior? Do you feel suspicious of those with that description? Or maybe you automatically tie creativity with extremes of madness or psychosis. “I’m too down to earth to be creative!” you proclaim.
Sometimes you are in possession of facts already known to the world at large. The difference is in your organization and interpretation of those facts. Perhaps your creativity lies in your ability to take a room full of people and convince them to make a buying decision. Maybe you’ve saved your company millions of dollars with a single idea. Ever resolved a conflict in your family or company? Guess what? You’re creative!
Maybe you’ve even been told how talented you are in a particular area; you may even know it to be true. So why be shy about it? But what do you do about it? How do you go about unleashing all that talent? How do you nurture it?
Let’s go back to the idea of being more childlike, unhampered by daily life and stress. Let’s play! Grab a drawing pad and colored pencils, and draw circles and patterns. If you have children of your own, borrow one of their coloring books and crayons, and join them in the coloring fun. Make objects of outrageous colors, just as children do. Again, color outside the lines, way outside the lines! Find yourself some clay or Playdoh and start sculpting; it doesn’t have to be anything in particular; just have fun with it. Squish it, cut it, slice it, and then mash in all together again. Try making shapes with the clay.
Now you’re asking, “What on earth is the purpose of all that nonsense?” Well, there is no purpose, you just need to play, have fun, and be free. It’s amazing how much your brain will appreciate this ‘no purpose’ playtime. You suddenly discover that you’re more relaxed. You may even feel happy. Even your breathing rhythm is different while you’re playing. Instead of the short, shallow breaths you take when you’re stressed, you’re now breathing deeply. You’re not experiencing the ‘fight or flight’ sensation. You’re totally relaxed. You need to push the worries and stress aside once in a while. Do not worry about problems or deadlines, and just play, with no purpose whatsoever.
Just a few minutes a day of the ‘no purpose’ play will make a world of difference in your creativity, problem solving, mediating, teaching, or anything else that you do. You’ll soon realize it’s time to take that talent to the next level, so let that creativity come out more often and let yourself go. Stephen Nachmanovitch once said, “The most potent muse of all is our own inner child.”
Keep in mind though, that talent is not enough. Let me repeat this. You must have absolute passion and discipline to develop your creativity. You must be dedicated to commit to your talent. What does the word creative make you think about? Breathtaking art? Totally original thinking? Exciting musical composition? Astonishing inventions? Have you let yourself believe that it’s impossible for you to be creative?
You may have let yourself become a creature of habit over the years. Have you condemned yourself to be incapable of creative thought? Perhaps you’ve been stuck in a rut or boring routines, and you feel that you couldn’t possibly be capable of change.
Now, imagine how your life would be if you’re allowed to live it creatively, every day. You know you’re creative and talented. What if the world around you treated you as such and you were allowed to nurture that talent, enhance your skills, and give your creative personality the attention it needs and deserves? You’d trust your own creative passions, be capable of solving any problem, and embrace your own creativity as a part of your very life - one of the necessary components to your happiness and mental health.
Remember that pure enjoyment is a key ingredient in your creative life. Eileen Caddy said, “Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it.” I too must keep reminding myself to play, to let go of this trifle called adulthood.
Kurt's website http://www.kreatefitness.com, as well as his Provo Utah Private Fitness Facility Synergy Fitness Systems, specializes in in providing leading edge exercise and nutrition programs and the Neo Physis super premium supplement line. Kurt is also a successful author, speaker and innovative motivational pioneer.
From India, Pune
Dear all,
Please read below some of the excellent excerpts from the Exit interview of Mr Narayanan Murthy.
Can innovation be outsourced: answers Naraynan Murthy
Murthy officially retired Aug. 20, but he will still be the company's non-executive chairman and chief mentor. In that roll, he can continue his work of encouraging young people to bring new, creative ideas to the company's management team. Murthy spoke with Forbes.com about innovation at Infosys and beyond.
Forbes.com: A lot of companies are starting to outsource innovation, as well as research and development. Do you think that trend will continue?
Murthy: I have a slightly different view. I don't know whether companies should outsource innovation. I believe in what my friend Geoffrey Moore, the author of Dealing with Darwin, says. You can outsource the contextual activities, but you have to in-source the core activities. Those are what give you a competitive advantage.
Give me an example of where innovation shouldn't be outsourced.
The ideas that provide a company with differentiation in the marketplace will have to originate from within. But implementing those ideas could be done by anybody. The design of the new features of the redesigned iPod--that had to be done by Apple itself. Actual manufacturing of the iPod could be outsourced. But the process of designing, the process of looking at what the market wants, the process of coming out with the first prototype of the video iPod, that has to be done by Apple.
What needs to change for the Indian economy to encourage more innovation?
First of all, I believe that we have to accelerate the growth of our higher education system. Second, we need infrastructure like roads, airports, etc., so we can easily commute from home to office without getting stuck in traffic jams. We need better quality airports, so we can travel abroad and so that our customers can come easily.
At Infosys, what formal policies do you have in place to encourage original thinking?
In every major decision, there is a significant representation of people below the age of 30. They're the people who have a lot more at stake in the future. Once a year, employees below 30 come and make presentations about improving the company. They discuss new concepts, new ways of developing software, new products. On that day, the only people allowed to make presentations are people under 30.
We use data and facts to decide on every issue. We have a famous saying at Infosys, "In God we trust. Everybody else bring data to the table." If you use data to decide issues, you encourage meritocracy.
How important is it to have systems like that in place? Some CEOs say, "We're such a creative company, we don't need a formal system to encourage innovation."
It's extremely important to have systems and processes because there are two levels at which innovation takes place. First, there is the freewheeling environment, the open environment, with discussions, debates, etc. But second, in order to make sure that those ideas are actually market worthy and that the corporation is in a position to leverage those ideas, you need systems and processes. They compress the cycle time and maximize the returns on those ideas.
What's next on Infosys' innovation agenda?
We are working on a huge initiative where we are bringing the power of our business model to activities which were hitherto thought unviable for [outsourcing]. For example, the conventional wisdom is that consulting is an on-site activity, a customer-site activity. We're saying that there are many, many activities in consulting that can be delivered from countries like India. For example, preparation of the proposal, research, analytics, simulation. All of that can be done from India. It could be as much as 30% to 40% of the total effort.
From India, Pune
Please read below some of the excellent excerpts from the Exit interview of Mr Narayanan Murthy.
Can innovation be outsourced: answers Naraynan Murthy
Murthy officially retired Aug. 20, but he will still be the company's non-executive chairman and chief mentor. In that roll, he can continue his work of encouraging young people to bring new, creative ideas to the company's management team. Murthy spoke with Forbes.com about innovation at Infosys and beyond.
Forbes.com: A lot of companies are starting to outsource innovation, as well as research and development. Do you think that trend will continue?
Murthy: I have a slightly different view. I don't know whether companies should outsource innovation. I believe in what my friend Geoffrey Moore, the author of Dealing with Darwin, says. You can outsource the contextual activities, but you have to in-source the core activities. Those are what give you a competitive advantage.
Give me an example of where innovation shouldn't be outsourced.
The ideas that provide a company with differentiation in the marketplace will have to originate from within. But implementing those ideas could be done by anybody. The design of the new features of the redesigned iPod--that had to be done by Apple itself. Actual manufacturing of the iPod could be outsourced. But the process of designing, the process of looking at what the market wants, the process of coming out with the first prototype of the video iPod, that has to be done by Apple.
What needs to change for the Indian economy to encourage more innovation?
First of all, I believe that we have to accelerate the growth of our higher education system. Second, we need infrastructure like roads, airports, etc., so we can easily commute from home to office without getting stuck in traffic jams. We need better quality airports, so we can travel abroad and so that our customers can come easily.
At Infosys, what formal policies do you have in place to encourage original thinking?
In every major decision, there is a significant representation of people below the age of 30. They're the people who have a lot more at stake in the future. Once a year, employees below 30 come and make presentations about improving the company. They discuss new concepts, new ways of developing software, new products. On that day, the only people allowed to make presentations are people under 30.
We use data and facts to decide on every issue. We have a famous saying at Infosys, "In God we trust. Everybody else bring data to the table." If you use data to decide issues, you encourage meritocracy.
How important is it to have systems like that in place? Some CEOs say, "We're such a creative company, we don't need a formal system to encourage innovation."
It's extremely important to have systems and processes because there are two levels at which innovation takes place. First, there is the freewheeling environment, the open environment, with discussions, debates, etc. But second, in order to make sure that those ideas are actually market worthy and that the corporation is in a position to leverage those ideas, you need systems and processes. They compress the cycle time and maximize the returns on those ideas.
What's next on Infosys' innovation agenda?
We are working on a huge initiative where we are bringing the power of our business model to activities which were hitherto thought unviable for [outsourcing]. For example, the conventional wisdom is that consulting is an on-site activity, a customer-site activity. We're saying that there are many, many activities in consulting that can be delivered from countries like India. For example, preparation of the proposal, research, analytics, simulation. All of that can be done from India. It could be as much as 30% to 40% of the total effort.
From India, Pune
Not just ideas - VIJAY GOVINDARAJAN AND CHRIS TRIMBLE
Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. Thomas Edison said it nearly a century ago. Few listened. We’ve been researchers in the field of innovation for several years now. We have shelves full of books on the topic. Interestingly, the vast preponderance of these books is only about 1% of the job — the front-end of the innovation process. The front end is about creativity, discovery, and breathtaking new ideas.
Stories about the birth of breakthrough ideas can make for juicy reading, and lie at the core of many best selling business books. A classic, The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen helps readers understand how to recognize ideas that have the potential to disrupt existing markets. More recent popular books also focus on ideas.
Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne offers a structured approach for identifying ideas for businesses that have little or no direct competition. The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson shows how creative ideas often follow from unusual combinations of experience, cultures, and scientific fields.
What of the back-end? The back-end is about converting ideas to life. It is about organisation building, technical development, and commercialisation. It is about management. Given India’s need to embrace innovation, focus on back-end is the key. The front may be saucy, but the back end is meaty.
Even with a great idea in hand, building a new business, particularly one inside an existing organisation, is a challenge like no other. Leaders face decisions loaded with contradiction and paradox at every step on the way. If you can master it, you’ve mastered the top-level course in general management. You are an extraordinary executive.
And still, it is hard to get people interested. When we give executive seminars on innovation, we typically spend only one-fourth of our time on the front-end. Yet, that is always the part of our program that generates the most energy. The front end sizzles with sex appeal. The back end labors and sweats.
There is an innovation mythology at work here. The magical moment in the innovation myth is always the light-bulb moment. It is that sudden “Eureka!” when our hero, usually brilliant but underappreciated, suddenly sees a new possibility. Subscribers to the innovation myth idolise the idea person.
The boss, clever enough to transform the idea into a profitable business, is given no more respect than the kicker who trots onto the field for the perfunctory point-after- touchdown. No doubt that Apple has some extraordinarily creative idea folks. They have designed extraordinary new products. But could it be that there is just a tad more to that story?
And consider the woeful tales of ideas born within companies that stumble and watch a rival copy the idea and succeed. How do you react? With respect for the managers at the rival? If so, you are unusual. The more common perspective is that the innovator is a tragic hero cheated of a just reward, the innovating company is a bumbling fool, and the rival is the evil opportunist. People naturally laud inspiration; condescend to perspiration.
Don’t get us wrong. It is as obvious to us as it is to you that an innovation journey never gets started without a compelling vision. But in any great innovation story, the idea is only Chapter One. Yes, ideas are crucial.
Yes, brainstorming is fun. Yes, creativity is glam. And yes, there is no day-away-from- the-office that is an easier sell than one focused on nothing but coming up with groundbreaking ideas for redirecting a business. We’ve seen many such “innovation days.” But we’ve seen much less in the way of constructive follow-up.
Edison also quipped: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in coveralls and looks like work.” Our capacity to innovate will rise dramatically when overalls become cutting edge fashion.
Source: The Economic Times
From India, Pune
Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. Thomas Edison said it nearly a century ago. Few listened. We’ve been researchers in the field of innovation for several years now. We have shelves full of books on the topic. Interestingly, the vast preponderance of these books is only about 1% of the job — the front-end of the innovation process. The front end is about creativity, discovery, and breathtaking new ideas.
Stories about the birth of breakthrough ideas can make for juicy reading, and lie at the core of many best selling business books. A classic, The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen helps readers understand how to recognize ideas that have the potential to disrupt existing markets. More recent popular books also focus on ideas.
Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne offers a structured approach for identifying ideas for businesses that have little or no direct competition. The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson shows how creative ideas often follow from unusual combinations of experience, cultures, and scientific fields.
What of the back-end? The back-end is about converting ideas to life. It is about organisation building, technical development, and commercialisation. It is about management. Given India’s need to embrace innovation, focus on back-end is the key. The front may be saucy, but the back end is meaty.
Even with a great idea in hand, building a new business, particularly one inside an existing organisation, is a challenge like no other. Leaders face decisions loaded with contradiction and paradox at every step on the way. If you can master it, you’ve mastered the top-level course in general management. You are an extraordinary executive.
And still, it is hard to get people interested. When we give executive seminars on innovation, we typically spend only one-fourth of our time on the front-end. Yet, that is always the part of our program that generates the most energy. The front end sizzles with sex appeal. The back end labors and sweats.
There is an innovation mythology at work here. The magical moment in the innovation myth is always the light-bulb moment. It is that sudden “Eureka!” when our hero, usually brilliant but underappreciated, suddenly sees a new possibility. Subscribers to the innovation myth idolise the idea person.
The boss, clever enough to transform the idea into a profitable business, is given no more respect than the kicker who trots onto the field for the perfunctory point-after- touchdown. No doubt that Apple has some extraordinarily creative idea folks. They have designed extraordinary new products. But could it be that there is just a tad more to that story?
And consider the woeful tales of ideas born within companies that stumble and watch a rival copy the idea and succeed. How do you react? With respect for the managers at the rival? If so, you are unusual. The more common perspective is that the innovator is a tragic hero cheated of a just reward, the innovating company is a bumbling fool, and the rival is the evil opportunist. People naturally laud inspiration; condescend to perspiration.
Don’t get us wrong. It is as obvious to us as it is to you that an innovation journey never gets started without a compelling vision. But in any great innovation story, the idea is only Chapter One. Yes, ideas are crucial.
Yes, brainstorming is fun. Yes, creativity is glam. And yes, there is no day-away-from- the-office that is an easier sell than one focused on nothing but coming up with groundbreaking ideas for redirecting a business. We’ve seen many such “innovation days.” But we’ve seen much less in the way of constructive follow-up.
Edison also quipped: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in coveralls and looks like work.” Our capacity to innovate will rise dramatically when overalls become cutting edge fashion.
Source: The Economic Times
From India, Pune
A closed mind = lack of creativity........
In sessions which I really want to make participants rethink and revisualise themselves, the first thing I do is to tell them that before I continue, I expect them to spend a few minutes to mentally go outside the classroom and leave their mindsets there ... you'd be surprised at the difference it makes to their receptivity after that!
And age makes no difference where creativity and learning is concerned -if you keep an open and inquisitive mind, you will never stop exploring the hitherto unknown, no matter how old or young you are ....and remember, put your ego aside - the Chinese say, 'if you ask a question, you may feel a fool for a few minutes; but if you do not ask that question, you may remain a fool for ever.'
Also, the source of learning is immaterial - learning comes from everywhere... they say that you can see the image of the sun as clearly in a pool of dirty water as in a beautifully burnished and shining silver tray.
:lol:
Jeroo
From India, Mumbai
In sessions which I really want to make participants rethink and revisualise themselves, the first thing I do is to tell them that before I continue, I expect them to spend a few minutes to mentally go outside the classroom and leave their mindsets there ... you'd be surprised at the difference it makes to their receptivity after that!
And age makes no difference where creativity and learning is concerned -if you keep an open and inquisitive mind, you will never stop exploring the hitherto unknown, no matter how old or young you are ....and remember, put your ego aside - the Chinese say, 'if you ask a question, you may feel a fool for a few minutes; but if you do not ask that question, you may remain a fool for ever.'
Also, the source of learning is immaterial - learning comes from everywhere... they say that you can see the image of the sun as clearly in a pool of dirty water as in a beautifully burnished and shining silver tray.
:lol:
Jeroo
From India, Mumbai
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